Awakening
by Amaylee
Summary: Shizuku keeps waking up to find Haru in her bedroom. Something's wrong with him, but he won't tell her what. She only hopes their impromptu sleepovers can help him work through whatever it is that sends him so desperately searching for her comfort. Can be read as platonic or HaruShizuku. Tried to keep it inline with anime canon.
1. Chapter 1

The first time Shizuku woke up to Haru in her room, it was just becoming light. He was sat at her desk already in his school uniform, slumped over her work books.

"Haru?" she asked softly, still too tired to be angry, the only emotion she could form was confusion.

Always a light sleeper, he stirred instantly and turned to her, smiling, "Good morning!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up.

"I... uh... I came to walk you to school!" Shizuku was suspicious of his hesitant speech, but she decided to ignore it.

Stepping out of bed, she began digging through her drawers for underwear before pulling her uniform out of the wardrobe. Deciding against asking Haru to step into the living room while she changed, where he would only run into her father and brother, she went to the bathroom and completed her routine there. She certainly didn't want the "talk" with her dad about Haru making his way into her bedroom through the window.

Passing back through the kitchen, she put two of the omelettes her father had prepared onto a plate. She knew one was for her brother but... he'd just have to make his own this morning. She also gave herself a few extra scoops of rice in her bento, knowing she'd have to share it later. She hadn't seen his school bag in the room so it was obvious he'd rushed out in his usual excitement without making proper preparations. Taking the food back to her room wouldn't be suspicious. Her family were used to her eating while she did some last minute reading in the morning.

"Eat," Shizuku told Haru sternly.

He obediently held out his hands and she slid the top omelette into them. It was inhaled in a heartbeat while she sat down and ate hers with chopsticks and actually bothered to chew.

She was concerned with his expression. He was perched on her chair in the usual fashion, but his smile was too grateful to be his genuine self. His eyes were hidden with his bangs, but she could tell they weren't sparkling like they normally would.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly as she put her plate aside.

"Nothing!" he sang, bouncing from the chair and sitting so close to her he could have been in her lap.

She didn't believe him. Not for a moment. But if he didn't want to talk, she wouldn't push it. He'd only end up running off, and she didn't want to deal with that.

She pointed at the window, "Whatever, meet me out front."

As they walked to school, Haru stuffed his hands into his pockets rather than letting them swing loosely. Shizuku knew he did it so that their hands would accidentally bump now and then, and found she was usually the one who hid her hands away. Shizuku still couldn't place what Haru was feeling, she could only tell he was uncomfortable. Against her better judgement, she stuck her hand into his pocket and slipped her fingers between his.

Haru flinched at the sudden contact but didn't pull away. In contrast, he looked down and gave her another uncharacteristically appreciative smile and gently squeezed her hand, all in the space of a second.


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Shizuku woke up to find Haru in her room, he was curled up under the open window with his bag as a pillow. Two weeks after the first incident, it was significantly cooler now. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only 4:30 in the morning. This confirmed her suspicion that he wasn't here simply for a free breakfast and to walk with her to school. But still... he looked peaceful, and she tried her best not to disturb him as she tiptoed over to close the window. She considered throwing a spare blanket over him, but it wasn't that cold with the window closed, and he did have his blue sweatshirt after all.

When the alarm rang later that morning, Haru was already awake. He sat with his knees to his chest, still under the window. His distant gaze melted into a sheepish smile when Shizuku let out an exasperated sigh. The sigh was faked, but she didn't want him to know she'd already known he was here. She doubted he'd remember leaving the window open.

He remained seated as she gathered her things, just like the time before. Instead of heading out to the bathroom, she tentatively approached him. She reached a hand out towards his head and observed his reaction, expecting him to bat her wrist away. Instead, he just watched her hand. Gaining confidence, she ran her fingers through his dishevelled hair. His face softened at the touch so she carried on caressing him for a few more seconds before her strict schedule pulled her into the bathroom to get ready.

She figured she'd better offer him the bathroom too, since she knew he'd been there longer than he'd admit. She could deal with her father later. At least the two of them seemed to get along. Haru appeared significantly less depressed after he'd used the bathroom and had a quick wash. He sat at the table with his signature cheeky grin while Shizuku's father prepared another plate for him. Shizuku tactfully batted his questions away.

On their walk to school, Shizuku tried to approach his odd behaviour yet again.

"Haru, what's going on?" she asked, stopping and resting a hand on his arm.

Haru looked down at her hand and his face fell. Shizuku couldn't quite tell if his smile earlier had been genuine and this was his real expression, but that didn't really matter now. What mattered was the fact that he didn't outright deny that something was up.

He placed his hand over hers and wove their fingers together, "I don't want to talk about it."

She felt him tug and realised that he'd begun walking again, their hands still intertwined. She allowed the subject to rest. Not being all that practised in comfort and support, Shizuku wasn't really sure if she should have pushed it further. She knew that, as a friend, she was supposed to offer the support her companion needed. Did allowing him to spend the night in her room fulfil that role? She could only hope so, because he wasn't leaking out even the slightest hint.

The next day, he'd perked up considerably and Shizuku could hardly even remember how distant he'd looked yesterday morning. She considered speaking to Natsume, knowing she'd probably have a better grasp of how to deal with Haru's secrecy but... a part of her enjoyed waking up to him. And a part of her felt pleased that she was Haru's first choice in support in whatever was happening.

It was then that she decided to keep his secret.


	3. Chapter 3

The third time Shizuku woke up to Haru in her room, she couldn't really tell he was there at first. All she knew was that her hand was enmeshed in something warm and soft. Upon opening her eyes, she found Haru's face looking right at her. It was still dark, but there was just enough light pouring in through the open curtains from the street lamps to make out his features. At least he'd closed the window this time. To her relief, he was asleep. Sitting on the floor next to the head of her bed, his head had toppled onto her mattress.

Subconsciously, she lightly massaged his scalp with her fingers and then smoothed his ruffled curls. She didn't know what time it was, but it was obvious they had plenty of time to get back to sleep. To her horror, he cracked an eye open and a sad smile spread across his face.

Damn, he'd definitely been caught this time.

"Shizuku," he mumbled apologetically.

"Just go back to sleep. Take the blanket from the end of the bed."

It had been three weeks, and it was significantly chilly in the dead of night. He silently took the blanket and settled down again.

Shizuku's hand returned itself to his velvety locks and she petted him until she was sure he was sleeping. Not knowing what came over her, she shuffled closer a few inches and left a delicate kiss on his forehead. She quickly rolled away and faced the wall.

They both pretended their late night interaction had never happened. Shizuku acted like she was irritated and Haru acted as though he was sorry. Though in truth, he was relieved she'd caught him. He was glad to have the blanket and even more glad that she had soothed him to sleep. The last thing he wanted right now was to be pushed away by the only person he could really trust.

As they left that morning, Shizuku again making excuses to her father, Haru instantly wrapped his hand with hers. He didn't know how to show his appreciation. Voicing his thanks would bring up the subject of his night time invasions, and he still wasn't willing to share the information. He hoped that the small circles he traced with his thumb on the back of her hand could convey everything he needed to.


	4. Chapter 4

The fourth time Haru entered her room at night, Shizuku wasn't even sleeping. She'd been up late studying and the battering her window was taking from the raging rain and wind outside had prevented her from nodding off sooner.

"Haru?!" she hissed in a whisper as her window slid open and his drenched body tumbled inside.

"Ah, shit," he muttered, clambering to his feet and closing the window.

"What are you doing out in this weather?!" Shizuku demanded.

The desperate look on his face told her he wouldn't answer honestly so she raised her hands in defeat and got out of bed to approach him.

"You're soaking wet..." she mumbled.

He could do nothing but stand there, his eyes cast to the floor.

"Wait here..." she told him, trying to look up and catch his eye, but he only looked away.

She tiptoed quietly to the utility room where she knew some of her father's clothes would be sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded. She dug out a pair of sweatpants and a plain red t-shirt. She knew they'd be too big, but her brother's clothes would be too small. Looking back, she figured she'd better grab some boxers and socks too. Her dad wouldn't notice.

Haru was still standing where she'd left him, dripping onto her carpet. She handed him the pants and top and put the underwear on the side of her dresser for morning. Actual morning, not the 2am she'd seen on the clock. She turned away and heard the shuffling of fabric behind her.

"Um..." he said when he was done changing.

His uniform and coat lay in a heap on the floor and Shizuku sighed. Haru watched as she quickly hung the clothes above her heater. They were well into autumn now and it was set to come on in the early morning, hopefully drying out his clothes in the process. She tossed his socks into her hamper, thankful she'd brought him clean ones.

Returning to stand in front of him, she noticed he was shivering and ran her hands up and down his bare arms. Feeling the toned muscle twitch beneath her made her insides tingle and she was glad the darkness hid her blush. After a few moments, he relaxed and allowed his eyes to meet hers. She hated the vulnerability in his gaze just slightly less than she hated whatever had caused it. This wasn't her Haru. But then... she wasn't quite herself right now either. She acted on instinct rather than thinking it through. Her only coherent thought was that Haru needed her.

Parting, Haru reached for the blanket and was about to take the spot he'd slept in last week, by her bedside, but she stopped him.

"It's too cold and you've been out in the rain. Just... just get in," she tugged her quilt back and Haru gave her a questioning look.

"Are... are you sure?" he whispered.

She nodded before she could change her mind.

Haru crawled into Shizuku's still warm bed and faced the wall. He tensed as Shizuku's feet brushed his legs as she slid in next to him but the contact soon ceased when she rolled to face the other way. He took a deep breath as the quilt settled up near his face. Her scent and her presence was all the comfort he needed to fall into a peaceful sleep.

It had the opposite effect for Shizuku. Just _what was she thinking_?! She had a _boy_ in her bed! And not just any boy, she had _Haru_ in her bed! The way his breathing soon levelled reminded her she was doing the right thing, but she could _smell_ him. She could _feel_ the heat radiating from his body. For a few seconds, he'd been almost _naked_ while she was still in the room. It was a long time before sleep took her, and even then she was disturbed by his every movement.

Dawn woke her. Damn, she hadn't closed the curtains. It took a second for her to register the weight on her waist and the hot draft tickling her neck. At some point, Haru had rolled over and now had his arm draped across her and his head buried into her hair. Why hadn't this woke her up? Oh. Right. Probably because it felt so damn nice.

Her cheeks flushed.

"Haru?" she whispered.

"Hmm?" was the moaned response.

"What are you doing?"

"Cuddling," he stated simply, pulling her flush to his chest with a single flex of his strong arm.

"Oh."

She didn't stay awake long enough to feel the kiss he tenderly placed on the back of her neck.


	5. Chapter 5

The fifth time Shizuku awoke to Haru, the cheeky bastard had climbed right into her bed. He lay on his back and had stuck his arm under her neck and around her shoulders. She had to lean across him to shut off the alarm and noted his jeans and top hanging on the back of her chair. What?! Was her seriously undressed and in her bed?! Wait... no... her father's clothes she had left sitting on the dresser "just in case" were now missing and looking down at his chest, she realised he'd changed. She remembered the snow she'd encountered the day before and figured that was probably the reason.

Either Shizuku was a much heavier sleeper than she realised, or Haru could be surprisingly quiet when he needed to be.

Removing her eyes from his chest, where they'd lingered far too long at the way his collar bone propped out just so above his muscle, she met his face. His eyes were open and he smiled at her. The arm that had been around her shoulders came up and pushed her down onto his chest.

"Who has an alarm on a Sunday?" he mused, holding her close and using his other hand to run his fingers through her hair.

Shizuku couldn't have replied even if she knew what to say. His brazen affection was far more than they shared during the day. Heck, they were hardly even talking most days with how much of an ass he was being about her winter prep course. Yet, here she was, completely accepting his hug as her own arm fell across his chest and she relaxed her neck to lean onto him. Even her feet moved to tickle his legs.

It was probably because she was still so pissy with him that she decided to question his actions.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong yet?"

His arms slipped away and his face turned to the opposite wall. Shizuku could have kicked herself.

"I should go," was all he said.

He pushed her away and stepped out of the bed. Having lost all his dignity to her embrace, he didn't care as he changed back into his jeans and jacket and hopped out the window. Shizuku felt like crying. She didn't know what was happening to Haru that made him spend the night with her every fortnight or so, but she wasn't fulfilling her role as a friend by pressuring him. Or was she?

She tried not to give him a second thought as she went about her usual Sunday business. As she got ready for bed that night, she picked up the abandoned sweat pants and t-shirt and folded them, putting them aback on the dresser. She hoped it would be a sign that he was still welcome if Haru decided to show up that night.

But he didn't.

He also didn't show up to school.

Panic coursed through her. He had _promised_ to come to school. Had she really let him down so badly by trying to find the cause of his misery? Sasayen and Natsume seemed unaffected by his absence and were far more disturbed with the way Shizuku ditched them after school. She ran home as fast as possible, just wanting to get away.

But there he was. Lying face down on her bed with wet clothes strewn across the floor. He had the blanket across him but his feet poked out. Shizuku could see his ankles were bare as well as the tops of his arms. He'd obviously just stripped and collapsed. He hadn't even closed the window. Was he sleeping?

She shuffled his clothes into her hamper and shut the window. She set the heated on low and nervously approached him. Why were his clothes so wet? It hadn't rained... They were the same jeans and top from yesterday, so had he even been home? She didn't even want to consider the fact that maybe Haru had slept outside, in the snow.

So what should she do? Should she be happy he was ok? Should she be angry? In the end, she gave up and just sat next to him, stretching her legs down his side.

"Idiot," she muttered.

He looked up and she saw his tear stained face for just a second before he pushed it into her lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. A strange sense of calm washed over the pair of them as they shared a relieved thought – they hadn't been rejected.

"Sorry," Haru heaved as he sat up, leaning against the wall.

Neither of them knew what he was apologising for, but it didn't matter. Shizuku hooked the blanket around his shoulders and across his chest, trying not to look. At least he wore boxers.

They sat silently together. At some point, their fingers had laced but they went ignored.

"Are you going home tonight?" Shizuku eventually asked, as gently as possible.

"I probably should..."

Haru left after dinner in clothes that Shizuku's father thought he recognised, but they were plain so maybe he was wrong. Shizuku retreated to her room to try and study, but she couldn't stop thinking about Haru. He acted so normally most of the time, yet he continued to show up in her room in the dead of night, obviously unable or unwilling to stay at home. He looked so scared and closed off, and she didn't know what to do with him.

Her window slid open and she looked out, not even surprised anymore.

"I thought you were going home?" she asked Haru.

"I am," he replied, crouching in the window.

"This isn't your home," she said, only being half sarcastic.

"Don't be silly. I just came by to tell you I love you."

He stepped inside and enswathed her in his arms. She loosely hugged back, hiding her face. Warmth was pressed in dots down the side of her face and she realised they were kisses. The moment ended without another word and again he was gone from the window.


	6. Chapter 6

The sixth time Haru came to Shizuku's room was the first time in just over a month. It had been so long, in fact, that Shizuku had put the clothes Haru had returned in exchange for his own in her dresser rather than on it, and left them there. It felt a little odd to have male clothes awaiting a wearer, but the offer was always open.

They had spent a pleasant New Years together and school had just started back up. Every morning, Shizuku would search for the warmth of Haru in her bed and then cast her eyes around the room in case he'd slept elsewhere. She was relieved he hadn't needed to come over in such a long while, but also a little disappointed. She missed him.

But this morning, there he was. They both lay on their sides, facing each other in the warm bed. He didn't appear to have found his "pyjamas" as Shizuka had mentally dubbed them and she figured he only wore his boxers by how naked his chest was. Did she care? Maybe she would when she was more awake. He had his eyes open and a stupid, sheepish smile on his face.

"Hi," he said as casually as possible.

"Hi," she mirrored, smiling.

His arm came to wrap around her and his fingers trailed through her hair.

"I thought things had been... better..." she pressed gently.

Instead of recoiling from the question, he smiled and hugged her closer. "They have. I just missed you."

Shizuku wasn't sure what to think. She was happy for him to come to her when he _needed _to. But what about just _wanting_ to? Was that really ok? Their feelings for each other were still out in the open, confused and unanswered. What did that make this? It was too early to think. Haru knocked the alarm off and rolled on his back, pulling her into his side as he did.

It felt a little uncomfortably to be resting against his naked chest at first but... it was Haru. He was warm and comfortable and right now she didn't want anything else in the world but to receive a morning cuddle that he _wanted_ rather than _needed_, be it against her better judgement or not. It was right. It was Haru. It was _her_ Haru. And that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>This was so fun to write. I thought of this last night after finishing the anime.<p>

I wanted to show the soft sides of both characters that we only really get a glimpse of, and also have some more fluffy scenes, since they're kinda lacking.

I'd really like to continue this, adding little one-shot chapters as they go through school, college, eventually adulthood and Haru is still showing up for the occasional cuddle. If anyone wants a particular age/scene, just message or request and I hope I can fill it out, and I intend to add my own little scenes too.

Thanks so much for reading. This is not only the first pretty plotless short story I've ever done, but also the first thing I've completed since coming out of highschool (which is longer ago than I care to admit...).

Lots of love, Amelie.


End file.
